A 'hand'ful of the 'rising sun'

[bongule]

A huge laminated poster of Andhra Pradesh's favourite megastar Chiranjeevi stares back at me from the corner of a friend's room. The friend, also now a disappointed fan, took it off the wall of his room after Chiranjeevi officially announced his party's merger with the congress. And my friend says he is not a one-off case... with reports of many a staunch supporters of Prajarajyam, from various districts of Andhra Pradesh, feeling a sense of betrayal. And can they really be blamed?

[img]http://static.ibnlive.com/pix/sitepix/02_2011/chiru-blog-preeti.jpg[/img]

For a party that promised a non-Congress, non-TDP (AP's main opposition party, Telugu Desam) alternative to the state's voters in 2008, amidst a gathering that ran into lacs in the temple town of Tirupati; for a party that said it will fight against corrupt forces of Congress & TDP for social justice.. Prajarajyam failed to meet the high standards it set for itself.

The party's symbol of a rising sun didn't help it see much light in the General Elections of 2009, winning only 18 assembly seats & not a single Lok Sabha seat. While Chiranjeevi was being touted as a kingmaker with his 18 MLA clout, a thumping majority by YSR made sure Congress didn't need any outside support. But that was 2009 & much has changed since then in Andhra Pradesh's political scenario.

A sudden demise of the Congress hero YSR Reddy, the rise of his son Jagan Reddy as a rebel Cong MP, the too-hot-to-handle Telangana issue & of course the inevitable number game for sustainable majority. All this & more have given an unexpected lifeline to Chiranjeevi & his party, who for the last few months was struggling to keep his flock together.

[color=red]The historic merger assures Madam Gandhi of 2 things:

1. Less stressing over narrow majority margins even if Jagan Reddy decides to pull the rug & ask 20-25 of his cong MLA supporters to quit the grand old party. Chiranjeevi's 16 Mlas along with the minority party MIM's 7 seats will keep the Congress floating in the 294-seat state Legislative Assembly. (Though Jagan in a "gentlemanly" tone has said in as many words that he does not want to topple his dad's govt, yet...since he is, but of course, a gentleman!)

2. Telangana: If Congress eventually does give in to the separate statehood demand, Chiranjeevi is expected to serve as the crowd puller in the coastal Andhra & Rayalseema region. These are not only his strong fan bases but also centers of Chiranjeevi's influential Kapu community, thus making sure he is Congress's formidable checkmate for Jagan Reddy in the region.[/color]

And what does Prajarajyam get out of this merger?

[color=red]Having followed the party's graph since its inception, the merger only means a fresh lease of life for a party that was struggling to stay afloat. With no set agenda at grassroots level, & a leader, who despite having best intentions for the people, is better off in the comforts of his villa, this merger relieves him of pulling along a party on rickety roads leading to nowhere.[/color]

While discussions are on over a possible Rajya Sabha seat for Chiranjeevi & a few state cabinet berths for his men, the bigger concern, as in such situations, is at the grassroots level. The cadre now stands disappointed & disillusioned. Will the politically sensitive rural pockets of the state accept this merger? Will they choose to pin their hopes on their Chiranjeevi anna (elder brother) for a second time? Will Chiranjeevi's poster find its place back on the wall & in the hearts of his supporters the second time around?


LoL.1q LoL.1q LoL.1q LoL.1q

[bongule]

sCo_hmmthink

[chotu gadu]

naku politics televu, ap politics anthakanna televu...so  no comment no comment no comment

[nenuinthe]

[img]http://www.desigifs.com/sites/default/files/i73369_ththbrahmi106.gif?1290172759[/img]